Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping

ASH GROVE, Mountain Cabins and Camping started life as the “Connestee Campground” around 1970. Connestee Falls created the campground so that the people who were building their summer homes could come and camp there on the weekends and see the progress on their home. Connestee ran the campground until 1980 and then closed it down.

Around 1994 Ron and Shelly Marcy purchased it and began to turn it into a cabin resort. They changed the name to “A Cryin Shame Resort”. They took the original bath house, gutted it and turned it into a three bedroom cabin, and then took three RV sites and built three more cabins. The other original campsites were left to nature.

In 2003 Mark Henry and Steven Dugard bought it with plans of reviving the RV sites and adding a new bath house and walk to tent sites. They immediately changed the name to ASH GROVE Mountain Cabins and Camping. The original RV sites hadn’t been touched since 1980 when Connestee Falls had closed it down, and there were 6 and 8 inch diameter trees that had grown up in them. Those had to be removed and all the leaves had to be raked off the old pads to see what size RV would fit. The sites originally had 15 amp service and to get water you had to carry your water jugs to the hydrant at the top of the hill. Remember that back in the 1970’s when it was laid out everyone had a big V8 vehicle and most trailers were in the 12 to 19 foot range, not like today’s RVers at all. Now they start with a 27 foot trailer and pull it with a little V6! That first spring 30 amp electric and fresh water hydrants were added to the RV sites, and three of the five sites were made into pull through sites. These sites now also have a mulch pad for tenters who want to be close to their car and need the luxury of water and electric to be able to run their technological toys. Thus these sites are called the Techno Tent Sites.

In November their first year construction was started on the new bathhouse and trails to the tent sites, then in April of 2004 they opened the tent camping area of ASH GROVE with five walk to tent sites and a brand new bath house. That winter another five tent sites were added, and over the next two years some of those sites were enlarged and another two sites were added bringing the total up to twelve walk to tent sites. These sites are between 25 and 250 yard from the bathhouse. These give the tent camper the feel that they are way out in the woods. There is no road that goes past these sites so no cars are going past you after dark. There is no water or electric at these sites so unless there is a lantern lit the illumination comes from the stars and moon in the sky, thus the name STELLAR SITES.

Walking trails have been made throughout the lower nine acres of the property so that the guests can wander through and see what wonders nature has provided here. The tiny wildflowers and the gigantic mushrooms are always a delight to the eye. There is a small stream that starts as a spring on the property with pools full of tadpoles and other small aquatic life to entertain the children, and also a small waterfall at the end of one trail where intimate weddings have been held.

The ASH GROVE philosophy is that NATURE REVIVES THE SPIRIT. We hope our guests will feel revived when they have to leave here.